Mar 27, 2015
The term plankton is applied to those organisms that are the
“drifters” of the sea.
Plankton
Most of these organisms are
small and if they can swim, their progress is so slow, that they move very little compared to the
currents.
Plankton
Most marine organisms spend
at least part of their lives in the
plankton.
Plankton
Everything from bacteria,
protozoans (including algae), and animals can be found in the
plankton.
Plankton
Because of this abundance of
potential food in the water, many
of the marine organisms feed on plankton.
Plankton
In fact, an abundance of plankton in a
particular area usually means an
abundance of other marine organisms.
Plankton
Plankton is usually collected in a net like this one. The size of the net’s
mesh will determine the size, and therefore the type of plankton
collected.
Plankton Types
Let’s take a look at some of the most common
types of plankton that are found in
the bay.
Plankton Types
Diatoms are a type of “plant”
plankton that is common in the
bay.
Copepods are the most abundant of the animal plankton types. They are Crustaceans that feed near the base of the food chain on diatoms.
Barnacle NaupliiBarnacle nauplii are
often common in inshore samples.
Barnacles go from this stage to a settling cypris
stage and then to the sessile adult
stage.
Zoea Crabs, like many
Crustaceans have a larval
stage known as a zoea. At
certain times of the year it can dominate the
samples!